Google extends free phone calls via Gmail through 2013
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Google Voice is one of our favorite services, but it hasn't been leveraged nearly enough by Google. Luckily, a fragment of the service lives in Gmail, which allows users to make phone calls via Google Talk, and Google's offer of free phone calls through the service has been extended through 2013. The announcement was made through Google's Gmail Blog, and said:
Many of you call phones from Gmail to easily connect with friends and family. If you’re in the US and Canada, you’ll continue to be able to make free domestic calls through 2013. Plus, in most countries, you can still call the rest of the world from Gmail at insanely low rates
What the blog post doesn't mention is that some of the "insanely low rates" for calls to the rest of the world have gotten a bit more expensive. We can't speak to all of the country rates, but the rates for calling Jamaica have certainly gone up recently, and earlier in the year there were reports of rate hikes for calls to Pakistan and other countries around the world. Maybe that's how Google can afford to keep calls to the US and Canada free through Gmail.
source: Gmail Blog
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3 Comments
1. valapsp posted on 26 Dec 2012, 23:02 5 0
Google must bring this feature to its Google talk app. You don't always have access to a desktop computer.
3. disneydad posted on 27 Dec 2012, 10:00 0 0
Calling rates are very much effected by the toll charges the country charges carriers for accessing their country's phone system. That's why neighboring countries may have wildly differing rates.
I don't think Google is charging extra for some countries to subsidize free calling for others.
